Professor Allison teaches Management Communication, with a dual focus on public speaking and communication technology. 

Her research primarily explores the cognitive processes underlying spoken performance. Merging social cognitive theory with performance studies, her work examines how the speaker’s internal state—from emotions to content mastery and argument structure—outwardly manifests in their vocal and physical presentation. She is especially interested in the impacts of social environment, and, with support from UVA's Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL) Scholars program, is currently investigating how social learning affects students' development as writers and speakers.

Bridging traditional communication studies with emerging technologies, Allison also leads and co-leads multiple inter-university studies on the impacts of AI on teaching and learning. As a member of the Faculty AI Guides program, she serves as a liaison between McIntire and the University for educational AI initiatives. Her online course, "Writing with Generative AI," developed for the Commerce Essentials series, aims to help students navigate their future as writers and professionals in an AI-augmented landscape.